NITI Aayog, the government policy think tank in India, has recommended that the country’s Small Hydro Power (SHP) target of 5 GW by 2022 be advanced to 2019–20, which it says will aid in balancing variable solar energy in decentralized locations.

SHP in India is defined as 2 to 25 MW. The country also has categories for micro-hydro (up to 100 kW) and mini-hydro (100 kW to 2 MW). The accelerated target, which would be achieved through infrastructure project grants and tariff support, was contained in NITI Aayog’s 3-year action agenda, which was issued on August 1.